Coaching

[clawman1]

I'm intrigued with how coaching works. Do do coaches learn? Hard knocks? Seminars? Clinics? How do coaches "move up" their career? Does a high school coach just get noticed or self promote themselves. On that topic does a high school coach have the skills to move up to the college level? Troy Taylor is certainly an example of a successful high school coach moving up to college. It is my understanding that Beau Baldwin recruited him to Eastern and his upward mobility has been impressive.
If you have direct experience or knowledge I'd like to hear.

 

[LDopaPDX]

I'm intrigued with how coaching works. Do do coaches learn? Hard knocks? Seminars? Clinics? How do coaches "move up" their career? Does a high school coach just get noticed or self promote themselves. On that topic does a high school coach have the skills to move up to the college level? Troy Taylor is certainly an example of a successful high school coach moving up to college. It is my understanding that Beau Baldwin recruited him to Eastern and his upward mobility has been impressive.
If you have direct experience or knowledge I'd like to hear.

First off, I don't think there is any kind of mandatory training for coaches. But all coaches are, to some degree or another, students of the game. Just like fans watch football on TV, so do they. They see it differently than most fans do, constantly looking at how teams match up on both sides of the ball, checking out blocking schemes, rout schemes, blitz packages, and coverages. As for HS coaches, the mentality is quite a bit different than college. HS coaches tend to be more rah-rah guys (Ted Lasso effect). College coaches tend to be the best of the bunch from my perspective, whereas NFL is more player management and homogenized packages that almost every team runs. That's why coaches can be hugely successful in one level and horrid at another... different levels require different talents.

 

[60s Savage]

The coaching Eastern staff has had a near perfect opportunity to develop a near perfect football team 2017 to 2021 for fruition this season in spite of the number of good assistant coaches that moved through Cheney 2016 to present. Until a few weeks ago I was sure 2021 was the year of The Eagle with victory in Frisco.

During these four years the 2021 team had amassed hundreds of hours of training, education, practice and game experience, an ideal football machine ready to reap its rewards. My hope for that possibility lingers in spite of our recent two loses.

Now the 2022 season looms ahead and as the positions of graduating are filled with far less experienced players, and I assume we can count on replacing some assistant coaches. In comparison with this season's challenges, 2021 football will start at about 20% or less overall experience and recruiting success will decline. We could begin considering which assistant coaches might more on. And who will the starters be in 2022.

Regarding the actual topic of this thread, I have believed since about 2015 that Cooper Kupp will make a very fine collegiate head coach when he chooses to do so.

 

[clawman1]

Speaking of coaching our former receivers coach Jr Adams was named interim offensive coordinator for the Huskies after they fired their OC.
Jr Adams https://gohuskies.com/staff-directory/junior-adams/4634

Other former EWU coaches who have moved their career to the next level:

Zak Hill is OC @ Arizona State https://thesundevils.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/zak-hill/4283,
Jeff Schmedding is @ Auburn as Assistant Head Coach / Linebackers / Defensive Run Game Coordinator, https://auburntigers.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/jeff-schmedding/3449

All were part of the Beau Baldwin era

 

[luckyintheorder]

There are lots of opportunities to learn the coaching trade. Not every top coach comes out a playing background but most do. I know several HS coaches (not HC's) that didn't play in schoold, became teachers and volunteered to become football coaches in one capacity or another. They attend camps, read books and seminars given by experienced coaches. It takes a great deal of time. EagerEagle is a coach and may be the best person to answer your query. Don't know any other Eag fans who've coached the game. Know there are several ex-players on the board.

Seems the clearest/most common path is to have been a player though college where they learn the game from at least 2 different HC's (HS and College), build a network of contacts, become a graduate assistant, then find their first position coaching position, whether at the HS level or College level. This is all likely redundant to many on the board.

How to become a more effective coach is another topic entirely.

 

[EagerEagle]

Thanks Lucky,
I think you hit it on the head pretty well. I am a high school coach, attend yearly coaches clinics, spend countless hours doing online clinics, and meet with college coaches often to learn more about the game. For high school coaches there are clinics in every state at different points of the year that many programs coaches go to. I have been in the coaching game for a while and have taken a lot of volunteer coaches to these and they have become wonderful high school coaches. At these different clinics I have had the honor of listening to all of the EWU coaches at one time or another along with high school, college coaches, and pro coaches across the country.

As for the rise to become college coaches I believe the majority of coaches come at it from the Grad assistant level and move up. Then from there, like Lucky said, a lot of the relationships of who you know, how you work with student athletes, and what you bring to the table as a coach and ambassador. It's no longer X's and O's, its personal relationships with kids, speaking PC, community work, and putting a lot of time in on and off the field. Can be lots of hours not seeing your family in some situations. The Eastern Coaching tree continues to expand across the country, meaning more and more positions opening up for current coaches.

 

[clawman1]

Thanks Lucky and Eager, that was my curiosity when I started this thread. If there was a seminar or clinic conducted by 1 or more high level respected winning coaches would you attend? So there is a level of higher learning available.

 

[EagerEagle]

Here are a couple local in Washington that many High School Football Coaches and College Coaches alike attend.
Glazier Clinic
Nike Coach of the Year Clinic

 

[clawman1]

I had forgot about Bodie Reeder, he is now @ Auburn coaching offense. If you recall in 2017 he was coaching Gage Gubrud when he was injured and EB3 took over. 2018 was another great playoff run under Bodie. Loss in Frisco to NDSU

 

[EAGLEFUZZ]

All those Coaches moved on because they had futures...Best is here because ??? Will everyone still like EWU s version of Tom Cable at the 5-6 years that are coming.

 

[LDopaPDX]

All those Coaches moved on because they had futures...Best is here because ??? Will everyone still like EWU s version of Tom Cable at the 5-6 years that are coming.

I’m supposed to be the board pessimist, but this is too cynical even for me. There’s nothing to indicate Eastern is on the slide. We get good recruits and generally are competitive every year. Best has strengths and weaknesses like everyone else, but he’s done very well with what he’s given to work with. Let’s not forget, he voluntarily took a haircut last year because university finances were so bad, despite everyone else in coaching getting record pay. Frankly, Best performs well in spite of bad university leadership, so he’s outperforming his circumstances by a lot.

 

[clawman1]

Idaho just hired South Dakota State OC as their new HC. Good hire on their part, not so good for us.

 

[EagerEagle]

Looks like McCann won’t be the OC next year. Announced on Twitter as the new wide receiver coach at Fresno….

 

[luckyintheorder]

Looks like McCann won’t be the OC next year. Announced on Twitter as the new wide receiver coach at Fresno….

Thanks for sharing EE.

Damn. I actually liked some of the small changes he brought to the offense. Was looking forward to seeing what next Fall would look like given the time to develop his plan. Guess learning at the knee of Tedford can't be all bad for his career.

Here's the Bulldog coaches page, updated today.
https://gobulldogs.com/staff-directory/pat-mccann/2870

 

[Obzerver]

I sent this to Best for Christmas...no thankyou note yet but it's still early. Note foward by Frank Beamer(always liked him and that thing on his neck)

 

[EWURanger]

Looks like McCann won’t be the OC next year. Announced on Twitter as the new wide receiver coach at Fresno….

Thanks for sharing EE.

Damn. I actually liked some of the small changes he brought to the offense. Was looking forward to seeing what next Fall would look like given the time to develop his plan. Guess learning at the knee of Tedford can't be all bad for his career.

Here's the Bulldog coaches page, updated today.
https://gobulldogs.com/staff-directory/pat-mccann/2870

It’d be great to find another Troy Taylor type guy. That guy was incredible…of course it didn’t hurt that he had Kupp, Bourne, et al.

 

[luckyintheorder]

clawman
Posts: 4733
Location: Veradale, WA

Thu Jan 06, 2022 4:54 am
I'm more interested in status of coaching staff. How many offensive players are going to commit to Eastern if they do not even know who the OC will be?
Idaho continues to hire staff while EWU leaves open positions.

You'll get no argument from me. Every time ISU and Idaho have made a coaching hire, I've cringed wondering what the heck... This just posted on Football Scoop yesterday for Idaho:

Idaho: University of Washington offensive analyst Thomas Ford is expected to be the new special teams coordinator / running backs coach at Idaho Bruce Feldman shared.

https://footballscoop.com/thescoop/the-scoop-thursday-january-6-2022

 

[Obzerver]

It's quite obviously that new OC is coming from Montana State, NDSU but more than likely from Alabama or Georgia. Please don't let anyone know where you got this info...you're welcome. But it's Christmas once again folks!!!

 

[EagerEagle]

It's quite obviously that new OC is coming from Montana State, NDSU but more than likely from Alabama or Georgia. Please don't let anyone know where you got this info...you're welcome. But it's Christmas once again folks!!!

Sadly more likely that University is cutting funding and Best is taking on OC duties and Special Teams duties. Just kidding of course, kind of.

 

[luckyintheorder]

It's quite obviously that new OC is coming from Montana State, NDSU but more than likely from Alabama or Georgia. Please don't let anyone know where you got this info...you're welcome. But it's Christmas once again folks!!!

Sadly more likely that University is cutting funding and Best is taking on OC duties and Special Teams duties. Just kidding of course, kind of.

Hope we dodge that bullet.
Language warning...

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